Christmas Special Delivery
by worthy-of-love4
Summary: It is Christmas morning and Belle and Rumple are spending it with their 2 children. Belle is heavily pregnant with baby #3. Unbeknownst to them, Rumple and Belle are in for a big surprise! My Once Upon a Time Secret Santa gift for belletheoutsider on Tumblr.


The morning sun streamed through the windows of Belle and Rumplestiltskin's bedroom. Rumple was awake first, as usual. He looked over to his beautiful wife sleeping peacefully and smiled at her. He liked watching her sleep. Her face was free of any tension and she had a cute smile on her face. He took the back of his fingers and lightly stroked her cheek. This made Belle giggle and open her eyes. "Good morning, handsome." She crooned, her voice still thick with sleep. Rumple leaned over and kissed her.

"Merry Christmas." He rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

"Merry Christmas." Belle smiled and kissed him again. "What time is it?" Rumple looked behind Belle's shoulder at the alarm clock on her nightstand. "It's 7:30."

Belle's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "7:30?! They must have slept in. That's not like them at all."

"I know, my love. However, don't get used to it. Pretty soon they will wake up and realize that it's not 5:30 and that they missed Santa coming." Rumple chuckled then he heard small footfalls on the floor getting increasingly closer to their bedroom. A few seconds later the door swung open.

"Mummy! Daddy!" Said two small voices as they jumped on Rumple and Belle's bed. "It's Christmas morning!"

"Yes, it is. Merry Christmas kiddos." Rumple said kissing each of their heads. "Now go downstairs and wait for me and your mum. And no opening any presents until we get there."

"Okay, Daddy." Said 4-year-old Gideon. Belle got out of bed and put on her dressing gown. Rosalee, who was almost three, hugged her mother's legs. Belle ran her fingers through the toddler's curly brown hair.

"Merry Christmas my little princess. Go on with your brother and we'll see you downstairs."

"Okay, Mummy." Rosalee reached her small hands up to touch Belle's heavily rounded stomach. She stood on her tippy toes and placed a kiss there. "Baby sister." The little girl smiled up at her mother then grabbed her brother's hand and they went downstairs.  
Rumple got out of bed and stood behind Belle, wrapping his hands around her middle. Just then they heard a loud "Whoa!" from downstairs as the children stared at the amount of presents in awe. Belle and Rumple laughed.

"You're only two weeks away from your due date. Do you think this baby will come today?"

"Let's hope she doesn't." Belle chuckled and the baby kicked her.

Rumple laughed. "Hmm, is that a yes or a no, little one?"

"Let's hope it's a no." Belle turned around in to Rumple's arms and kissed him. "Come on, the kids are waiting." Rumple put on his robe over his pajamas and the two headed downstairs. When they get downstairs two excited little ones were waiting for them.

"Mummy, look at what Santa left!" Little Rosalee cheered and jumped up and down.

"Wow, sweetie, look at all the presents!" Belle enthused. In the left hand corner of the living room was a large Christmas tree covered in multicolored lights and ornaments of all kinds: handmade, glass, simple designs, intricate patterns, snowmen, snowflakes, and even antique ones. There were even ones shaped like small books with numerous classic titles. The tree was topped off with a large silver star. On the wall against the stairs, half way between them and the tree was a fireplace. There were presents lined up from the fireplace to the tree and all around the tree base. The presents were all different sizes and wrapped in different wrapping paper. The children's presents were wrapped in paper according to their interests. Rosalee's were wrapped in Disney princesses, Frozen, Doc McStuffins, animals, and books. Gideon's were wrapped in Paw Patrol, dinosaurs, Mickey Mouse, Finding Nemo, animals, and books. Belle's gifts were obviously wrapped by Rumple as only a few had bows and the wrapping wasn't completely perfect. Rumple's were very nicely wrapped and all of them had bows and ribbons. They shared wrapping paper of shimmering colors, wintry designs, and fancy patterns.

An empty plate of cookies and an empty glass of milk lay in front of the fireplace along with a copy of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. "Let's see what message Santa left for you in the book this year." Belle said and the family gathered around the presents. Each year Belle and Rumple left Santa a Christmas book and he left the children a message every year. Gideon grabbed the book and handed it to his mother. Belle opened it to the flyleaf and read out loud.

"Dear Gideon and Rosalee, Merry Christmas to you both! Every year you become better and better and move up on the "nice" list. Gideon, you are a great big brother and are wonderful to your little sister. I know you will be just as great with your new baby sister. You are a fun, happy, and smart boy and I can't wait to see how you grow this year. Rosalee, you are such a sweet, happy, and intelligent girl. I'm glad you actually know who I am this year. I know you are so excited to be a big sister and you will be a wonderful one. Make sure you and your brother help Mummy and Daddy out as they will be very tired with your new sister, but that doesn't mean they will love you any less. Thank you for being such good children this year and I hope you enjoy your presents, but more importantly don't forget to always give thanks, show love, have courage, and be kind. Love, Santa."

"Yay, Santa remembered us! I'm glad we're being nice and good." Said little Gideon.

"Yeah, Santa really likes you two." Rumple said to his children. "Are you ready to open your first presents?"

"Yeah!" The kids yelled in unison.

"Ok, sit in front of the tree!" As soon as Rumple finished speaking the kids trotted to the tree and sat down still full of wiggles. Belle sat across from Gideon and Rumple sat across from Rosalee. Each child grabbed one of their presents and Gideon almost tore the paper of his, but Belle stopped him.

"Gideon, let your sister open hers first."

Gideon looked upset at first but then smiled and nodded. "Yes, Mummy. Go ahead sissy."

Rosalee smiled and ripped the princess paper off her present with glee. When she was finished unwrapping she grinned from ear to ear. "It's a piano, Mummy!"

"And a xylophone. And what animal are they shaped like?" Belle asked her daughter, who looked at the box quizzically.

"A doggy!"

"Yeah, a doggy!" Belle turned to her son. "Okay Gideon your turn." Gideon smiled and ripped the Paw Patrol paper off of his gift."What is it, buddy?"

"Mickey!"

"Uh-huh, and what is he?"

"A rock star! He's got a guitar!"

"Yes, he does!" Rumple said to his son. Rumple grabbed a square gift for Belle. "For you my love." Belle gasped as she took the gift from her husband. She opened it neatly. It was a baby book for their new baby. It had a custom cloth cover with pink satin, ribbon and room for her name and birthday.

"Oh Rumple, it's gorgeous! Thank you." She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "I have something for you, too. Giddy, could you get me that small box right there for Daddy." Gideon handed her the box and Belle handed it to Rumple. He opened it slowly and with caution. Inside was an antique gold Rolex watch.

Rumple gasped, "Belle!" He looked at her in shock. "You found it!"

"Yes, I did. It took many Internet searches, but I found it."

"You are simply amazing. I love you so much."

"I love you, too." Belle smiled at Rumple and he leaned over and kissed her.

"Ewwww!" Gideon and Rosalee screamed at their parents. Rumple and Belle just laughed.

The presents continued to flood the living room and Rumple had already filled a whole garbage bag full of wrapping paper. The kids received toys as well as things like books and clothes. Rumple and Belle had one more gift for the children. "Okay, kids open them!" Rumple said with a smile. The kids hurried and opened their last presents. They both gasped as they saw what they got. They both got a Micro Kickboard Mini2Go Scooter, Gideon's in blue and Rosalee's in pink.

"Scooters!" The kids screamed and ran around the living room and hugged Rumple and Belle. "Thank you, Mummy! Thank you, Daddy!" They exclaimed.

"Can we open them, Daddy?" Asked Gideon.

"Ask you mother." Rumple answered. Gideon turned to his mother.

"Can we, Mummy?" He asked with his big brown eyes.

"Oh, alright, but after breakfast. Fair?" Belle asked her kids. They sighed in disappointment, but nodded their heads because they were hungry. "Rumple, love, will you get started on breakfast? I am going to go lay down until it's ready." Belle took Rumple's offered hand to get up off the floor. Rumple thought her going to lie down was unusual, but he just figured that she was tired.

Belle went upstairs to her and Rumple's bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed as an intense pain went through her. She had been feeling contractions not long after the family started opening presents, but tried to hide her pain the best she could. When the contraction ended Belle went in to the bathroom and drew herself a bath. When she was in labor with Rosalee a bath helped her get through the pain. Once the water was high enough Belle took off her pajamas and lowered herself in to the tub. The warm water quickly eased the pain of the contractions. Belle could still feel them, but at least the pain was less intense. She was able to relax and even close her eyes. She breathed through every contraction using the breathing methods she was taught in birthing class. She also checked her watch so she could time them.

Belle didn't know how long she had been in the tub, but the water suddenly got quite warm and she felt a slight release deep in her belly. Her water had broken. "Oh no" She said to herself. She immediately felt an intense contraction. She had to get up to change and tell Rumple. She didn't want to ruin Christmas for the kids, but it seems the baby had other ideas. Belle slowly got up and patted her body dry with a towel. She changed in to comfortable clothes. She grabbed the baby's bag for the hospital since hers was too heavy for her to carry. She put on her Ugg boots, grabbed her coat and slowly made her way downstairs.  
When she got downstairs she saw the children playing with their Christmas presents. Rumple was cleaning up and the kitchen smelled of eggs and bacon. She didn't want to worry the kids and got Rumple's attention when he looked over to her. He left the kitchen and came to Belle. The kids didn't seem to notice, they were too busy with their new toys

"Belle, what's wrong?" Rumple said, slightly panicked when he saw her with her coat and the baby bag.

"I started feeling contractions during presents. I went up for a bath and my water broke. The contractions are strong and are every ten minutes. Can you call Snow and David and tell them? They can bring Neal over too. I'm sure Gideon will gladly share his new toys with him. "

"Okay, I'll call them. Will you tell the kids?" Rumple asked and Belle nodded. He gave her a kiss on the head and helped her over to the couch. He took out his phone and went in to the kitchen. The kids noticed that Belle was dressed and looked ready to go somewhere. Gideon came up to his mother.

"Mummy, are we going somewhere?"

"No, baby, but Mummy is." Rosalee heard this and came over to her.

"Where are you going Mummy?" She asked looking like she was about to cry.  
"Well, your little sister decided to come a little early. Uncle David, Auntie Snow, and Neal are going to come over to watch you. Is that ok?" The kids looked at each other and started jumping up and down shouting "Yay!" Belle wasn't sure if they were cheering because of their sister coming, or Snow, David, and Neal coming over, but she let them celebrate. "Now make sure you share your new toys with Neal. He is being pulled away from his new toys so make sure you share them. Daddy is going to take Mummy to the hospital once they get here."

"Ok, Mummy." The kids said in unison. About forty-five minutes later there was a knock at the door. Rumple opened it and she heard Snow and David say "Merry Christmas" in unison. Rumple returned the greeting and told them to come in. Rosalee and Gideon stood up and ran up to give Neal, still in his pajamas, a hug.

"Hi Neal. Did you get that for Christmas?" Gideon said, referring to the Optimus Prime toy in Neal's hand.

"Yeah. Santa got it for me." Neal said with a smile.

"That's so cool! You can play with my toys too if you want." Gideon took Neal's hand and took him over to the Christmas tree where their toys were sprawled on the floor. While David and Rumple talked, Snow came over to Belle and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, sweetie, how are you doing?"

Belle looked up at her. "Hanging in there. Contractions have gone from ten minutes to seven in the last hour. It's moving faster than Rosalee's labor. She'll probably be here in the next few hours. You don't mind staying that long do you? And the next night or two?"

"No, of course not. Neal loves hanging out with the kids. It's kind of lonely for him at our house when Henry isn't visiting."

"Thank you. There's plenty of food in the kitchen for lunch and snacks. If you have to make dinner too that's no issue. We really appreciate it."

"Of course. We're family we do anything for each other." Snow looked back to see Rumple walking over.

"Hey, honey. How are you doing?" Rumple asked, helping Belle up off the couch. "Easy, now." He rubbed Belle's back as she balanced herself. Rumple held out her coat for her. "You ready to go?"

"Yes. Just want her to get here. " Belle said flipping her hair out of her coat. "Let's get out of here. Thanks again, Snow."

"You're welcome, Belle. Good luck." Snow said as she gave Belle a hug. Rumple got the bags ready.

"Children, we're leaving now. Give your Mummy a hug." Rumple told to the kids, who raced over to Belle. Rumple went to put the bags in the car. Gideon hugged one side of Belle and Rosalee hugged the other.

"Bye, Mummy. Will we see you soon?" Gideon asked his mother.  
"Of course, baby. Hopefully tonight, or tomorrow." Belle told her son calmly. She then heard little Rosalee crying. "Rosie, come here." Belle told her daughter while patting the couch. Rosalee stood on the couch and the two faced each other. "What's wrong, little one?" She took her hands.

"I don't want you to go, Mummy." Rosalee said through tears. It would be the first time she had been away from Belle for more than a few hours.

"Oh, it'll all be okay, honey. You will see Mummy soon. Mummy's going to miss you so much, but I will be thinking of you and your brother. When you see me next you're going to have a new baby sister. I love you straight to the stars, my darling." She gave Rosalee a hug.

"And back, Mummy." Her tears started to dry as she completed her and Belle's way of saying "I love you."

"Be a big, strong girl for me, ok?"

"I will, Mummy."

"That's my girl." Belle pulled away from the hug and placed her forehead against her daughter's. "Kisses." Her and her daughter gave each other a kiss. "Bye, my darling." She held her hand out to help Rosalee off the couch. "Gideon, come give mommy kisses." She called to her son. Gideon came over to her and stood on the couch facing her.

"Bye, Mummy. I love you."

"I love you too my sweet boy." Belle gave her son a hug. "Be good and keep an eye on your sister." She pulled back from the hug and held his hands. "You will always be my special baby boy. My little hero." She smiled at Gideon's giggle and blush. "Give me kisses." She leaned forward, pressed her forehead against her son's. They gave Eskimo kisses, then a normal kiss. "Bye, my prince." She smiled and Gideon went back to playing with his sister and Neal.

By that time, Rumple had come inside and was ready for Belle to go with him. As she was walking to him, he could tell Belle was having a contraction though she tried to hide her pain as much as possible. "Bye Snow, bye David. Thank you. I know it was last minute." Rumple said to them and put his arm around Belle.

"Keeps us posted!" David called to them as they reached the door.

Rumple helped Belle in to the car gingerly. "Are you alright?" He asked cautiously. Belle chuckled and smiled.

"I'm okay, Rumple. You're getting all freaked out like you did with Rosalee."

"Am not." He said sarcastically. "I just want you to be comfortable."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." He leaned in and kissed her then closed the car door. He got in on the driver's side and started the car.

Rumple and Belle got to the hospital about twenty minutes later. Belle was admitted and placed in a room to be monitored. The baby's heart rate was good and contractions were every five minutes apart. Belle was six centimeters dilated when they arrived. She was told to try and rest, but that was difficult to do because of the strong contractions, and she was refusing all drugs. Soon she started to cry. Rumple rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. "Belle, what's wrong? Is it the pain?" He asked. Belle shook her head "no."

"No it's not that. Well it hurts, but that's not why I'm crying."

"Then why are you crying?"

"The kids. I miss the kids and I'm afraid of how they will react to the baby. Will they think we don't love them anymore? We're going to be up with the baby, what will they think."

"Oh, my love." Rumple kissed her hand. "I'm worried about that too, but they seemed to understand from the message we left in the book. I think that it may be difficult the first few days, maybe weeks, but it will get better. We will take turns each day spending time with Gideon and Rosalee. You can wear the baby and play with the kids. Read to them. They will love her. Gideon was lovely with Rosalee and I think he will be just as good, if not better. And Rose? Well, I think she will be good with her. She's been practicing with her baby dolls. She will love helping you. We have two wonderful, healthy, intelligent children. They will be fine." Rumple squeezed her hand in reassurance. He immediately felt her hand relax in his. He took his other hand and rubbed Belle's head. "We're going to have a third baby."

Belle smiled back at him. "And if we're lucky she will be born on Christmas." She chuckled. "I guess you were right this morning when she kicked me." Belle groaned as another contraction ran through her. Rumple rubbed her back since she was lying on her left side. Belle breathed through the contraction. "Thank you. Can you have them come check me?"

"Do you feel like you need to push?" Rumple tried to not get too worked up.

"A little. I'm sure I'm close."

"Okay, I will go get them." Rumple gave Belle one last kiss before he left the rom. Minutes later Belle's midwife came in to check her progress.

"You're eight centimeters, her head's right there. Let's try pushing to get you to ten." The midwife said as she removed her glove. She put on a new set. "You can just sit up for now. We'll move you when you get to ten." Belle pushed for about twenty minutes when the midwife announced, "That's ten and you're fully dilated. I'm going to get the rest of my team then we will have a baby." She left the room to get the rest of her team. The room was then filled with some nurses and three student midwives. The midwife was gowned and gloved, a tray of instruments was brought over to her and the warmer was readied. "Alright, Belle if you want to slide up to the front and dad you can sit behind her if you want." The midwife instructed. Rumple looked at Belle, who nodded. He settled in behind her and rubbed her sides. "Okay Belle, next contraction push." Belle took some deep breaths as she waited for the contraction. "Alright, push." The midwife instructed.

Belle took a deep breath, held it, put her chin to her chest, and gave a big push. She groaned slightly and let out her breath. She leaned her head against Rumple's shoulder, breathing heavily. "Good job, Belle." Rumple whispered in Belle's ear and kissed her cheek. She leaned in to his kiss and snuggled Rumple's neck. She felt comforted having Rumple sitting with her. It took some of the pain away and it made the moment more intimate between them. Belle was able to breathe for a minute before she felt her next contraction.

"Okay, push." The midwife said calmly. Belle gave another big push then relaxed against Rumple again.

"Just a few more and we'll have our little girl." Rumple whispered in Belle's ear and he saw a small smile on her face. "Big push, now, Belle." Rumple's words motivated Belle and she gave the biggest push yet and felt stinging. "Here she comes, my love."

"Okay, her head's out. Don't push." The midwife said as she cleared out the baby's nose and mouth. A nurse put a blanket on Belle's chest. "Alright, Belle, small push and she'll be out."

Belle looked up at Rumple for his reassurance and comfort. He rubbed her shoulder "One more, my love. You can do it." He kissed her cheek and held her for the last push. "Push, push her out." He whispered to her. Belle gave one last push and the baby's shoulders slipped out and in to the midwife's hands.

"Here she is, there's your baby!" The midwife placed the baby on Belle's chest and her arms immediately went around her. The baby gave her very first shrill cry.

"Hey, baby girl!" Belle beamed at the baby as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"You did it, Belle." Rumple kissed her cheek and put his hands on the baby. "She's beautiful." His eyes welled with tears. Nurses came over with towels and dried the baby off. Belle and Rumple wrapped the blanket around the baby as she continued to cry. "Look at her. Hi little one." Rumple took the small baby's hand. He noticed Belle was strangely silent. "Belle, are okay, darling?" He asked her. She looked up at him with happy tears running down her face.

"I'm okay. She's just perfect." She looked back at the baby.

"Yes, she is. Just like her mother." Belle looked back up at Rumple when he said those kind words. They leaned in and kissed each other as they held their new baby. "With each baby you have the more beautiful you get." This made Belle laugh. "I'm serious. I have never seen you look more beautiful than you do right now." He kissed her again. They looked at their baby in beautiful silence as they stroked her and kissed her.  
The umbilical cord was clamped when the afterbirth was delivered. Rumple did the honors and cut his baby's cord for the second time. The midwife had unbuttoned Belle's gown so she could hold the baby skin to skin. The baby curled on Belle's chest and she placed the blanket over her. The baby had settled down now that she was warm against her mother. Rumple rubbed his hand along the baby's blanket covered back. Belle leaned her head down and kissed her daughter's head. "She looks like Rosie." Rumple observed.

"Yeah, she does, but she has your nose."

"Aye, she does. Look at me for a second." Rumple told Belle, who swung her head to the right to meet Rumple's. They were nearly touching foreheads. "You did amazing. I'm so proud of you. Thank you for letting me be with you and hold you again."

"It's what I wanted, my love. This makes it more intimate between you and me. We shared the experience of bringing our daughter into the world."

"I forgot how much I loved sharing this with you." Rumple kissed Belle sweetly. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." Belle whispered.

"So what are we going to name this little one?" Rumple asked as the baby started to wiggle on Belle's chest, wanting to breastfeed. Belle situated the baby at her breast and coaxed the baby to feed, which she did right away. The midwife checked to make sure the baby was latching correctly.

"I don't know. It's like she knew we were talking about her." Belle gave a chuckle when the midwife left. "Well, since she was born on Christmas, should we give her a Christmas name?"

"Do you have any in mind?"

"Yes, Noelle."

"Noelle?" Rumple said the name out loud and when he did the baby's eyes went from half closed to wide open, looking up at Rumple. He and Belle couldn't help but laugh.

"I think she likes it."

"Noelle is perfect." He leaned his head against Belle's and they watched the baby feed.

After an hour the baby was taken to be measured, 19 inches, weighed, six pounds, twelve ounces, and taken to the nursery to make sure she was healthy. Meanwhile, Rumple called Snow and David.

"Hello?" Snow's voice said on the other end. They both had their phones on speaker so they could hear the children playing in the background.

"Hey, Snow, are the kids there?" He asked.

"They're right here."

"Hi Daddy." Said both children one after the other.

"Hey Gideon, Rosie. Guess what?"

"What?" The kids asked, excited.

"Your baby sister is here!"

"Yay!" The kids cheered causing the room to explode with noise and Belle to laugh.

"Say hi to Mummy."

"Hi Mummy!" They called to Belle and Rumple handed the phone to her.

"Hi kiddos, are you being good for Snow and David?"

"Yes."

"Good. They're going to bring you up to meet your baby sister soon. Are you excited?"

"Yeah!" The kids screamed in unison.

"I love you."

"Love you too, Mummy."

"See you soon."

"Bye, Mummy." The kids then scurried away from the phone. Belle handed the phone back to Rumple and he told Snow the details of bringing the kids to the hospital. When he hung up the phone he came and sat next to Belle on the bed.

"They will be here in an hour." Rumple sighed as he got on the bed.

"Ok, my love. I can't wait to see them. It's going to be hard watching them leave though. Do you think Snow and David can keep them for the night?"

"They were going to anyway when this happened, it just happened two weeks ahead of schedule." He chuckled.

"That's true. I'm trying not to worry, but it's hard."

"Yeah, it is, but they will be okay."

"Yeah, they're strong kids. They will probably be still in their pajamas." She laughed at the thought. "I hope they bring Noelle back soon, she's going to need to eat." Almost on cue the midwife wheeled Noelle in to the room in a plastic bassinet.

"Here's your baby." She said in singsong. She wheeled the bassinet next to Belle's bed, lifted the baby out and in to Belle's arms. She was swaddled in a pink blanket and was wearing a baby hospital hat with a bow. "There we go. She's very hungry." She chuckled as the baby started rooting as soon as she was in Belle's arms. Belle started to feed the baby and the midwife helped her. "Good. She's latching perfectly. The pediatrician gave her a clean bill of health. All tests are normal and she's healthy as a horse. Are the siblings coming up soon?"

"Yes they will be up in an hour." Belle informed her. The midwife wished them well and said her goodbyes. Belle looked down at the baby while she nursed and tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Belle what's the matter?" Rumple asked as he rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm just happy." She smiled at him. "I'm happy that we had a great Christmas as a family this morning. I'm happy that she's here even though we didn't plan it. It just seems like everything is perfect and fell right in to place."

"Well, it has. She was meant to be born today. That's why she came."

"Yes I believe that's why she did."

About an hour later there was a knock at the door to Belle's room. "Come in." Rumple announced. In walked Snow, David, Neal, Rosalee, and Gideon, the children still in their pajamas. Belle sat up in her bed, smiled widely and the kids ran up to her.

"Hey you two come here!" The kids hopped up on Belle's bed and she hugged each kid with one arm. "I missed you!" She kissed each of them on the head. They cuddled on the bed for a couple minutes.

"Do you guys want to meet your baby sister?" Rumple asked. The kids both nodded and got off the bed. They each got on a side of the baby's plastic bassinet. They had to get on their tiptoes to see her and Rumple got a precious picture of the kids looking down at their baby sister. "There she is, you guys. What do you think?"

The kids looked down at her before answering. "She's cute." Said Rosalee with a smile.

"I think she's beautiful." Gideon smiled too.

"Do you want to hold her?" Rumple asked and both kids nodded. "Okay, sit on the bed here and I will hand her to you. Both the kids got on Belle's bed and sat cross-legged. "Since Rosie is a first time big sister she gets to hold her first." Rumple lifted the baby out of the bassinet. "Now, Rosie, hold your arms out the way you and Mummy practiced." Rosalee held her arms in an odd oval shape and Rumple gently placed the baby in her arms. "Support her head with your elbow. There you go, good job."  
Rosalee held her baby sister and looked down at her smiling widely. The baby had woken up and was looking up at her new big sister.

"Look, Rosie, she's smiling at you. She likes you." Belle said as she saw her daughter hold her sister. She couldn't help but get teary-eyed. "Do you want to know her name?" She asked and both the kids nodded. "Her name is Noelle, which means Christmas."

"Noelle." Rosalee said out loud down at her baby sister. "Hi, Noelle." She leaned down and gave her a kiss on the head.

"Aw that was sweet, Rosie. Okay, it's Gideon's turn." Belle said. Rosalee frowned, but knew she had to give her brother a turn. Rumple took the baby from Rosalee and gave her to Gideon.

"Do you remember how to hold a baby, Giddy?" He asked. Gideon smiled and held his arms out proudly. "Good job, buddy." He placed Noelle in his arms. Gideon smiled and gave his sister a kiss.

"Hi, Noelle. I'm Gideon, your big brother. I love you." Gideon said in his sweet voice. Belle had a few tears run down her cheeks as she saw the positive reactions from her kids.

"She likes you, Gideon. You're a great big brother. Do you like having two sisters?"

Gideon nodded. "Yeah, I do. It's so fun."

"I'm glad, buddy." Belle said, proud. The baby then began to cry and Gideon's face dropped.

"Did I do something?" He almost started crying.

"Oh, not at all, sweetie. She just needs to be changed. Do you two want to help me?" Gideon went back to smiling and let his dad take the baby from him. Rumple handed the baby to Belle. "Here, come get on either side of me." The kids got on each of Belle's sides. Rumple brought over baby wipes and a newborn diaper to the bed. Belle unwrapped the baby from her tight swaddle. She was wearing a white side snap shirt and a diaper. She was crying and wiggling. Rosalee rubbed the baby's belly and hushed her.

"It's okay, Noelle." She said sweetly.

"Aw thanks, Rosie, she likes that." Belle praised her daughter as the baby settled down. "Gideon will you unfold that diaper for me?" Gideon nodded and unfolded the diaper like a pro. "Thank you, buddy." She undid the dirty diaper, slipped it out from under the baby, and replaced it with the new, fresh one. She pulled a wipe from the case. "Rosalee, do you want to wipe her?" The little girl nodded and took the wipe. She wiped the baby from top to bottom like Belle had shown her. "Excellent, baby." Belle undid the tabs on the diaper and she lifted the front over the baby's belly. "Alright, Gideon, you pull this tab," she pointed to the tab on her left, "and Rosalee, you pull this tab." She pointed to the one on her right. Each child took their tab and pulled them up to meet in the middle. "Look at that! You two helped change her diaper. You did so good." Belle hugged her two little ones close. Now go with Daddy and wash your hands." The kids got down from the bed and Belle used the hand sanitizer on the bedside table. She didn't want to get up and ruin the moment.

When the kids returned Belle showed them how to swaddle the baby. They were so enamored by her and that made Rumple and Belle very proud. Their family finally felt complete. Snow and David returned a few minutes later to see the baby and hold little Neal took a turn and gave her a kiss. Snow took their first photo as a family of five. By the time visiting hours were over it was hard for Rumple and Belle to say goodbye to Gideon and Rosalee. However, they were getting cranky and it was close to dinnertime.

By the time Rumple and Belle were settling in for the night, the baby was fed and already asleep. They were sitting on the bed facing each other, holding hands. It felt like they were teens looking in to each others eyes. "I'm so proud of you, my Belle. Seeing you with our three children made my heart swell. You are the best mother any child could ask for. I have wanted a family with you for longer than you know and I finally have it. I couldn't be happier. I have felt like I lost you several times and never thought I'd have the family with you that I dreamed of. I go to bed each night and wonder how an old monster like me got so lucky." Rumple started to tear up and Belle rubbed his hands.

"Rumple, I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you're not a monster. There were times when I was convinced that you weren't what was best for me, but I have been proven wrong many times since then. Seeing you with our children always makes me smile. Seeing how gentle you are with our new baby girl only shows me that you are the best father I could have ever wanted for our children. I've never been happier than I am right now. Our family is finally complete." Belle and Rumple were both in tears and they hugged each other tightly. "I love you so much, Rumple."

"I love you too, my beautiful Belle." Rumple whispered to her. They pulled back and shared a passionate kiss, one full of love, hope, and understanding. "Now you get some sleep. You had a baby today. A baby that will be awake in a few hours wanting to be fed." He kissed her head. "Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight, husband." Belle gave her husband one last kiss and she settled in to bed.  
As his wife fell asleep Rumple stayed awake and looked upon his wife and sleeping daughter's faces. He smiled to himself, for once not questioning why he was so lucky. He finally realized that he was lucky, he deserved this, and he had finally found his happy ending. The entire day was nothing short of a Christmas miracle.


End file.
